Holder for sheets arranged in piles



P. H. HQRWIITT HOLDER FOR SHEETS ARRANGED IN FILES Filed June 2'7. 1922 l/Vl/E/VTOR PAUL H. //0/m//rr W/ T/VESS 6. wi ZYQWMWH M/ W 1 A NORA/W Patented Aug. 7, W2.

PAUL H. HORWITT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS.

TO INDEPENDENT PAPER MILLS, INC.

TION OF NEW YORK.

, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORA- HOLDER FOR SHEETS ARRANGED IN FILES.

Application filed June 27,

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LPAUL H. Honwrr'r,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holders for Sheets Arranged in Piles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to holders for sheets arranged in piles, and more particularly to holders for paper napkins, aper towels, toilet paper and the like, and ms for its object to provide a novel and improved arrangement whereby a pile of such napkins,

towels, toilet paper or the like is supported in a manner to facilitate the removal of individual napkins, towels, sheets of toilet paper and the like from the top of the pile. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby withdrawal of napkins, towels, sheets of paper and the like from the pile at intermediate points thereof is prevented. Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an example of the invention with out defining its limits, Figure 1 is an elevation of the holder; Fig. 2 is a plan view: Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detail view illus- "picked up by the fingers, so that individual tratin another form of the invention.

in its essentials, the invention comprises a device which, by its weight, depresses the napkins, towels, toilet paper or other folded sheets at the upper en of a pile in a manner to bul e the central portions of the terminal nap ins or the like, whereby the removal of individual na kins or other folded sheets is facilitated. n the preferred arran ement the paper napkins or other sheets. fold ed into rectangular, oblong form, are piled so that alternate napkins or other sheets cross and project beyond each other, with the result that at its centre the pile is composed of a pluralit of thicknesses of sheets in excess of the t ickness of the pro- 1922. Serial No. 571,296.

jecting portions of the pile, and the device is constructed so as to exert a pressure only upon said projecting portions; in this way, the central portions of the uppermost folded sheets are bulged upwardly and the folded edges are accentuated so as to be capable of being lifted by the fingers when a napkin or other sheet is desired.

In the illustrated example, the invention consists of a stand 10, upon which a support 11 in the form of a plate is mounted, upright guide members or posts 12 projecting upwardly from said support in a manner to define guideways or spaces for the projecting ends a of the ile of paper napkins or other sheets I). T e latter, as shown, may be folded into oblong, rectangular form and in any case, are arranged cross-wise or trans versely of each other, so that the central portions 0 of the pile are located centrally between the posts 12. Because of the fact 79 that the central portions of the napkins or other folded sheets are all superimposed directly upon each other while the projectin ends of alternate napkins or other folde sheets extend transversely to each other, the central portion 0 of the pile is relatively thicker than the projecting ends a thereof. Thus, if the latter are depressed from above, the central portions 0 will be bulged up wardly, with the result that the edges d of the uppermost napkins or other folded sheets of the pile are separated and easily napkins or other sheets 6 may r adily be lifted from the pile. The device whereby the depression of the sheets is accomplished may, as shown, comprise a member 13 having a central aperture-14 and notches 15 arranged to fit over the osts 12; if desired, the latter may be provi ed with proections 16 in the form of spherical ends or balls to prevent unintentional removal of the member 13, intentional removal of said member being readily accomplished by exerting a lifting force upon said member 13 sufiicient to spring one or more of said posts inwardly to a slight extent. The member 13, when in operative position, rests upon the pile of napkins or other folded sheets, and by its weight, bears against the projecting ends a and depresses the same, whereby the central portions 0 of the uppermost folded sheets are bulged upwardly through the aperture 14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Any suitable means may be included in the holder for preventing removal of napkins b or other folded sheets from intermediate points of the pile; for instance, flanges 17 may be provided and arranged so as to project over the upright surfaces of the pile to an extent sufficient to accomplish the desired-purpose. In the illustrated example shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, these flanges 17 are carried by and depend from the n1ember 13 over the edges of the projecting ends a, as indicated in igs. 1 and 3. With this arrangement, which is intended to exemplify equivalent constructions, the end edges of a sufficient number of the uppermost napkins or other folded sheets are rendered inaccessible, so that it is impossible to withdraw nap kins or the like from any intermediate points of said pile, it being apparent that the difliculty of extracting folded sheets from points below said flanges 17 in the illustrated example, will discourage any attempt at withdrawal from the lower portions of the pile. An equivalent structure is shown in *ig. 4, in which the flanges 17 project up wardly from the plate 11 over the end edges of the pile of napkins.

The invention provides aiholder of simple and inexpensive construction, whereby the napkins or other sheets, and more particularly paper napkins, are displayed in a sanitary and attractive manner; the upward bulging of the uppermost sheets in the pile so accentuates the longitudinal edges thereof at the central portion 0 as to indicate immediately how individual napkins or other sheets may be removed without effort. This is accomplished by exerting a lift upon the terminal napkin or its equivalent sufficient to separate it from the pile and draw it through the aperture 14-. as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the adjacent napkins or other sheets being held against disturbance by the weight of the member 13. The pile of sheets is easily placed in position upon the support 11 between the posts 12 which not only fix the pile in place, but serve also as guides for the member 13, which gradually descends as the napkins or their equivalents are successively removed. The invention eliminates waste and yet makes it easy to procure as many napkins or other sheets as may be desired, and at the same time does away with indiscriminate handling, for instance, of napkins or towels and the like, so that the latter are protected against contamination and are maintained in a sanitary, wholesome condition.

If desired, instructions in the use of the holder may be produced, for instance, upon the flanges 17 or upon any other convenient part thereof.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the nature of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a support, a pile of sheets carried thereby and having a central area of greater density than adjacent outer areas thereof, means for maintainin said pile in place upon said support, and a device adapted to depress said pile at its areas of lesser density, whereby the sheets at the top of said pile are bulged outwardly at the central area of greater density to facilitate removal of individual sheets.

2. The combination of a stand, upright guide members on said stand, a pile of paper napkins supported on said stand between said guide members and having alternate napkins arranged in transverse relation to each other to produce a central area of greater density than adjacent outer areas located between and beyond said guide members, and a device arranged to depress said pile at its areas of lesser density outside of the guide members whereby the napkins at the top of said pile are bulged outwardly at the central area of greater density inside of said members to facilitate removal of individual napkins.

3. The combination of a stand, a pile of napkins thereon, in which alternate napkins cross and project beyond each other to produce outer areas of lesser density than that of the central area of said pile, upright posts on said stand between which. said pile is positioned, and an apertured member arranged to exert a pressure upon said outer areas of said ile whereby the napkins at the top thereof are bulged up wardly at the central area of greater density through the aperture of said member to facilitate the removal of individual napkins therethrough.

4. The combination of a stand, a pile of napkins thereon, in which alternate napkins cross and project beyond each other to produce outer areas of lesser density than that of the central area of said pile, upright posts on said stand between which said pile is positioned, an apertured member arranged to exert a pressure upon said outer areas of said pile whereby the napkins at, the top thereof are bulged upwardly at the central area of greater density through the aperture of said member to facilitate the removal of individual napkins therethrough, and means whereby withdrawal of napkins from said pile at intermediate points is prevented.

5. The combination of a stand, a pile of napkins thereon in which alternate napkins cross and project beyond each other to pro- Laeapva duee outer areas of less density than the central area of said pile, upright posts on said stand between which said pile is positioned, an apertured member arranged to a exert a pressure upon said outer areas of said pile whereby the napkins at the top thereof are bulged upwardly at the central area of greater density through the apertureof said member to facilitate the removal of individual napkins therethrough, and flanges depending from said member to prevent withdrawal of napkins from said pile m hand. I

y PAUL H. HORWITT. 

